Today’s marketplace requires small businesses to be agile, scalable, and able to meet their market’s evolving needs on a moment’s notice.

Business agility can appear daunting to the over 30 million small and medium-sized business owners in the United States.

Hiring freelancers is a quick, efficient, and cost-effective solution to business success, and dramatically increases a brand’s ability to be nimble and flexible as the needs of the market change. But finding the right talent for your business can often be an overwhelming task – a partnership with a recruiting firm like Imprimis Freelancers can help.

When considering hiring freelancers on your own, avoid the 3 most common mistakes most business owners make: 

Mistake #1: Paying too little (or too much!) 

Knowing what a company can afford to spend is one thing, but knowing what a freelancer’s service is worth is another. Few business owners have a solid understanding of the latter, and even fewer know when and why to pay more or less than the going rate. But glossing over cost/value comparisons can create big losses for businesses, whether that’s from missing out on a valuable partnership by underestimating an expert freelancer’s worth or squandering resources on unskilled contractors with a low rate who seem like a bargain. 

The Solution

As we mentioned, a virtual recruiter can help business owners understand the freelance market and objectively evaluate a freelancer’s value thereby creating a financially stable partnership for both. 

“Helping clients understand the value of the skill set they’re seeking is vital to the success in getting the right fit for the right money,” said Valerie Freeman, CEO and Founder of Imprimis Freelancers, a full-service professional staffing firm that provides both flexible and permanent staffing solutions to hiring organizations.

“We do that by understanding and communicating the skills and associated costs for a freelancer. Everybody loves a bargain, but we remind our clients that a highly skilled freelancer who is a bit more expensive likely won’t need as many hours to get the same work done as someone with a lesser skill set. That equates to great value – both money and time.”

Mistake #2: Hiring freelancers without the right qualifications 

Strapped for resources and time, many business owners tend to make hiring decisions after cursorily reviewing only a handful of candidates. This often means taking a candidate’s word that his/her skills are as extensive as presented. Unfortunately, this frequently results in costly arrangements that don’t meet the business’ — or its clients’ — needs. 

The Solution

Again, a virtual recruiter can help. Unlike the vast majority of business owners, virtual recruiters have the time, resources, and skills to thoroughly and purposefully evaluate a large pool of candidates. The best virtual recruiters will then find and present the talent that best fits the business owner’s needs, thereby ensuring that only the most well-matched, qualified, and carefully considered candidate is hired.

“When we curate freelance talent for clients, we compare dozens of candidates,” explained Freeman. “This enables us to see the full range of skill levels available so we can pinpoint what candidate experiences best align with the client’s needs.”

Mistake #3: Not setting clear expectations when hiring a freelancer

“Clear communication is essential for any good partnership,” said Freeman. “Freelancers want to know exactly how to help their clients and the best way to achieve this is by delivering clear expectations. When unexpressed expectations aren’t met, business owners sometimes feel that they’ve hired the wrong person.”

The Solution

“When business owners can’t present clear expectations to others, it’s usually because they aren’t clear on what they need,” said Freeman. “That’s when a recruiting partnership with Imprimis Freelancers can really help.”

“We know what questions to ask up front to determine what a client really needs and address any gaps in the client’s job description,” she explained. “We also know what questions freelancers will ask and what information they need to be sure they are a fit for the job. So we help check those boxes and ensure all expectations and needs are clearly communicated from day one.”

It’s that early, solid partnership between virtual recruiter and business owner that can make a genuine difference in the success of the later partnership between business owner and freelancer. 

Many business owners have run into challenges hiring freelancers in the past, often due to the mistakes already discussed, but it’s also because businesses simply don’t have access to the same resources and top freelancers that talent platforms do. Hiring the right talent is an essential component of scaling your business successfully and a partnership can help you find the right freelancer to fit your needs.

Connect with Julie Stephens today to learn more about the process and get connected with the resources you need!